Engraved sword nameplates can now adorn Japanese houses, bring Arthurian style to the suburbs

Swords are back in a big way. You might argue they never really left – with the revival of medieval aesthetics and weaponry in video games and one happy couple even using a sword to cut their wedding cake, the allure of huge blades is one that won’t be going away any time soon.

And for the truly sword-obsessed, there’s a way to mark your devotion on your very house itself.
A nameplate, or hyosatsu, is a common enough sight in Japanese residential areas. As you walk past house after house, you’ll see the sunlight glint across squares of metal or wood emblazoned with the family name – usually in kanji, but often in Roman letters as well.

▼ A beautiful wooden hyosatsu of the surname Yamagishi.
But you aren’t here to see classy geometric shapes with beautiful calligraphy on them. No, the fire in your veins demands something more intense. Thankfully there exists a company, Mino Craft, that’s willing to engrave your name in kanji and roman text onto a huge sword replica and have it serve as your hyosatsu instead.
Here it is in its natural habitat: a regular suburban neighborhood.

“The Holy Sword (hyosatsu) that I ordered finally arrived at my new address, so I snapped a photo to commemorate it. I think mine was the first one to ever be installed in a private house, so they’re likely to post the photo in their catalog… Also, it’s way bigger than I thought it would be.”
The incongruity of the massive sword jutting out of a very serious and mature looking home makes for a great photo, so no wonder @syatyou_eddie took multiple shots. Commenters were delighted and immediately flexed their Photoshop skills:

▼ “Sorry, I looked at it and could only see a promotional ad for Dr*gon Qu*st so I made this. Sorry.”
Another commenter asked where his name was engraved, but @syatyou_eddie had apparently engaged in a little Photoshop manipulation of his own before uploading the photos – he edited the name off of the sword, but assured commenters that “in real life, it bears the name of a hero”.

▼ You can see some examples of engraved swords in the catalog, plus…other designs.
One commenter asked @syatyou_eddie “aren’t you worried someone might take it out of the ground?” and he had this mighty response:
“Only a true hero can pull this sword out.”